1. Priority Claim
This application claims the benefit of priority from European Patent Application No. EP12002467.4, filed Apr. 4, 2012, which is incorporated by reference.
2. Technical Field
The present system relates to embedded systems for updating firmware. In particular, the present system relates to embedded systems with multiple domains. Further, the present system relates to updating multiple domain embedded systems.
3. Related Art
Firmware update mechanisms exist that check whether a firmware update is necessary, either regularly or when a new device is plugged in. A firmware update may include improvements, such as optimizations in a program execution speed or eliminating error within a certain firmware release.
Firmware may include hardware and/or software enabled functions and/or data structures that operate within electronic devices, such as remote controls, calculators, computer peripheral devices, scientific instrumentation, robots, mobile phones, digital cameras, and personal computers. Firmware can enable a device's basic operation as well as higher-level functions. Firmware is diverse, as most electronic devices contain firmware at more than one level. Even subsystems of an electronic device, such as central processing units (CPUs), flash chips, communication controllers, display modules, and so on, have their own program code and/or microcode, which may be considered firmware. Low-level firmware may reside in a programmable logic array (PLA) structure or in read-only memory (ROM), for example, while high-level firmware may include software or act as an interface to software.
Common reasons for updating firmware include fixing bugs or adding features to a device. Doing so may involve loading a binary file provided by a manufacturer of the device.